Fastening Mechanism

ABSTRACT

A fastening mechanism is provided that a male component configured to be slidably received by a female component. The female component includes a receptacle having an open end and a terminal end proximate to the upper end thereof. A detent is located proximate to the terminal end of the receptacle and is configured to engage an aperture of the male component. The female component is configured to be coupled to a portable object, while the male component can be attached to a larger object. In use, the components are coupled together by sliding the female component on to the male component generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the male component until the detent is received in the aperture of the male component.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to fastening mechanisms and,more particularly, to fastening mechanisms for personal items.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fastening mechanisms have long been used to provide a system forsecuring portable items such as cell phones, GPS receivers, personaldigital assistants, and the like to personal belts or pockets. Thesemechanisms are configured to allow users access to the portable device.

Such fastening systems typically include a male component and a femalecomponent. The male component is configured with a button affixed to theportable device. The female component is typically a u-shaped receptaclewith a clip that attaches to a personal belt, pocket, or the like. Thus,the female component is attached to the larger, non-portable object,while the male component is affixed to the portable device, such thatthe portable device hangs from the female component. The femalecomponent typically includes a release button located proximate to theopen end of the u-shape, opposite the apex of the u-shape.

To attach, the user slides the male component into a housing section ofthe female component, which allows it to hang. To release, the userpushes down on the release button and slides the portable deviceupwardly, removing the male component from the female component.

Although such fastening mechanisms are generally affective, shortfallsexist. For example, such mechanisms require two separate motions torelease the portable device from the housing. The first motion is todepress the release button; and the second motion is to, while holdingthe release button, slide the portable device upwards and out of thehousing. This process may often require the use of both hands due to thenature of the procedure. In addition, this multi-step process can leadto the accidental release of the release button, which wouldsubsequently impede the process of the discharge of the portable device.Quick access to the portable device is thus hampered by the design ofthe fastening mechanism.

It should, therefore, be appreciated that there remains a need for afastening mechanism that addresses the aforementioned shortcomings. Thepresent invention fulfills this need and others.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general terms, the present invention provides a fastening mechanismhaving a male component slidably received by a female component. Themale component includes a post and a button end. The button end has agreater diameter than a diameter of the post. The button end defines anaperture that cooperates with a detent of the female component to securethe components together. The female component includes a receptacle forslidably receiving the male component in which the terminal end of thereceptacle is disposed proximate to an upper end of the femalecomponent. The components are coupled together by sliding the femalecomponent on to the male component generally transverse to thelongitudinal axis of the male component until the detent is received inthe aperture of the male component. Thus, the male component is attachedproximate to the upper end of the female component.

More specifically, and by way of example in an embodiment of theinvention, the female component includes a release button coupled to adetent such that depressing the button causes the detent to disengagefrom the male component. The release button can be located at an upperend proximate to the terminal end of the receptacle. To remove, the userdepresses the release button, causing the detent to disengage from themale component and allowing the user to slide the female component awayfrom the male component in a single action. In this manner, thefastening mechanism ensuring secure attachment, while allow forconvenient detachment.

In a detailed aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the invention, thefemale component is attached to a portable object such as a removablepocket, a sleeve for an electronic device, a mobile phone, personaldigital assistant, and a global positioning system receiver, to name afew.

In another detailed aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the invention,the male component is attached to an object such as a golf bag, a gymbag, a suitcase, a backpack, a briefcase, and a suitcase.

In yet another detailed aspect of an exemplary embodiment of theinvention, the male component includes an annular flange disposedproximate to the surface of the object. The male component can furtherinclude prongs extending from the annular flange that couple to abacking.

In an independent aspect of the invention, a female component isprovided for use with a male component having a post defining alongitudinal axis, a button end attached to the post and defining anaperture on a terminal end aligned with the longitudinal axis of thepost. The female component includes a body having an upper end and alower end. The body includes a base wall and an intermediate wall inspaced relationship with the base wall defining a cavity between thebase wall and the intermediate wall. The cavity has an opening at theupper end of the body for receiving a release button. A flange ispositioned over the intermediate wall defining a receptacle having awidth less than the diameter of the button end of the male component.The flange configured such that a terminal end of the receptacle isproximate to the upper end of the body and an open end of the receptacleis proximate to the lower end of the body.

In a detailed aspect of an exemplary embodiment, the release buttonextends through the upper opening into the cavity of the body. Thebutton is operatively coupled to a detent extending through the detentopening of the intermediate wall to engage the aperture of the malecomponent, such that depressing the button causes the detent todisengage from the male component.

For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achievedover the prior art, certain advantages of the invention have beendescribed herein. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarilyall such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particularembodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the artwill recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in amanner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantagesas taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as maybe taught or suggested herein.

All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of theinvention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments of the presentinvention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following detailed description of the preferred embodiments havingreference to the attached figures, the invention not being limited toany particular preferred embodiment disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of a fastening mechanism inaccordance with the present invention, depicting a male componentattached to an outer wall of a golf bag and a female component attachedto a sleeve for housing a mobile device.

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the male component of the fasteningmechanism of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the female component of the fasteningmechanism of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the female component of thefastening mechanism of FIG. 1, taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the female component of the fastening mechanismof FIG. 1, depicting arms for the release button in phantom.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, there isshown a fastening mechanism 10 having a male component 12 attached to anouter wall 14 of a golf bag and a female component 16 attached to asleeve 18 for housing a mobile device. The female component isconfigured to slide onto a button end 20 of the male component. Thefemale component includes a detent 22 that engages an aperture 24defined by the button end, securing the components together. To remove,the user depresses a release button 26 of the female component, causingthe detent to disengage from the male component and allowing the user toslide the female component away from the male component in a singleaction. In this manner, the fastening mechanism enables convenientaccess to the portable object, while ensuring secure attachment to thegolf bag.

With reference now to FIG. 2, the male component 12 includes an annularflange 28 disposed proximate to the outer wall 14 of the golf bag.Prongs 30 extend from the annular flange through the wall, coupling to abacking 32. More particularly, four prongs are provided, each having atapered terminal end that extends through an aperture defined by thebacking, providing a snap fit. This configuration enables easy mountingon variety of products, such as gym bags, suitcases, backpacks,briefcases, and suitcases to name a few. In other embodiments, variousouter approaches can be used for mounting the male component withoutdeparting from the invention. In addition, the male component can beattached to various other objects without departing from the invention.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, the male component 12 furtherincludes a post 38 that extends from annular flange 28, defining alongitudinal axis. The diameter of the post is less than that of thebutton end 20, so that the post can fit through a slot 64 (FIG. 3) ofthe female component. In the exemplary embodiment, the post has diameterof about 5 mm, and the button end has a diameter of about 15 mm. Thepost terminates in the button end 20. The aperture 24 of the button endis centered about the longitudinal axis of the post. The button endtapers from the aperture to the peripheral edge 40, facilitating thedetent to be received with the aperture 24. In the exemplary embodiment,the male component is formed of molded plastic components; in otherembodiments, various other materials can be used to include variousplastics, composites, and metals without departing from the invention.

With reference now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the female component 16 defines areceptacle 42 for slidably receiving the male component. The receptacleincludes an open end 44 proximate to a lower end 46 of the femalecomponent and a terminal end 48 (FIG. 4) disposed proximate to an upperend 50 of the female component. The detent 22 is positioned within thereceptacle proximate to the terminal end. The detent extends through adetent opening 52 defined by an intermediate wall 54.

A peripheral sidewall 56 extends outwardly from the intermediate wall54, aiding in defining the receptacle. The sidewall includes twospaced-apart portions 58 that extend from the open end of the receptacletowards the terminal end 48 and an end portion 60 that extend about theterminal end 48 of the receptacle between the two spaced-apart portions.

As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the female component 16 further includesa flange 62 positioned over the intermediate wall 54 and projectinginwardly from the sidewall 56. The flange defines the slot 64 (FIG. 3)between the opposing edges of the flange. As mentioned above, the slothas a width less than the diameter of the button end 20 of the malecomponent 12. Thus, the button end must pass through the open end 44 ofthe receptacle to couple the components.

With reference to FIG. 5, the female component 16 further includes abase wall 66 configured to be coupled to the portable item. In theexemplary embodiment, the base wall is disposed on an exterior side ofthe outer layer of the sleeve. In other embodiments, the base wall canbe attached to the interior side of the outer surface of the sleeve.Moreover, other methods for attaching the female component to a portableitem can be used departing from the invention. The female component canbe used with various types of objects, such as a compartment, mobilephone, personal digital assistant, a global positioning system receiver,or any other portable object or containers. In the exemplary embodiment,the female component is formed of molded plastic components, excludingthe spring, which is metal. In other embodiments, various othermaterials can be used to include various plastics, composites, andmetals without departing from the invention.

With reference again to FIG. 4, the intermediate wall 54 is in spacedrelationship with the base wall 66, defining a cavity 68 between thebase wall and the intermediate wall for receiving the release buttonassembly 26. The cavity has an opening 70 at the upper end 50 of thebody. The release button extends through the upper opening into thecavity.

As best seen in FIG. 5, the release button 26 includes three parallelarms, two outer arms 70, and a center arm 72, disposed within the basecavity 68. The outer arms 70 each include a flanged end 74 thatcooperates with a corresponding catch opening 76 defined by the basewall, to define a range of motion for the release button.

The center arm 72 includes the detent 22, which extends through thedetent opening 52 of the intermediate wall 54. The lower end of thecenter arm is coupled to a spring 78. The spring is positioned to biasthe release button upward, causing the detent to extend outward into thereceptacle. By pressing the release button downward, the center armdeflects backward such that the detent retracts such that the detentdisengages from the male component, allowing the components todisengage.

In other embodiments, various other configurations for the detent can beused, such as spring-operated ball, a deflectable catch, or othermethods for holding a mechanical part in relation to another, to includethose in which the parts can be disengaged by applying force to one ofthe parts. Thus, in other embodiments, the release button can beexcluded entirely without departing from the invention.

It should be appreciated from the foregoing that the present inventionprovides a fastening mechanism having a male component configured to beslidably received by a female component. The female component includes areceptacle having an open end and a terminal end proximate to the upperend thereof. A detent is located proximate to the terminal end of thereceptacle and is configured to engage an aperture of the malecomponent. The female component is configured to be coupled to aportable object, while the male component can be attached to a largerobject. In use, the components are coupled together by sliding thefemale component on to the male component generally transverse to thelongitudinal axis of the male component until the detent is received inthe aperture of the male component.

Although the invention has been disclosed in detail with reference onlyto the exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat various other embodiments can be provided without departing fromthe scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is defined onlyby the claims set forth below.

1. A fastening mechanism, comprising: a male component configured to beattached to a container, the male component having a post defining alongitudinal axis and a button end, the button end having a greaterdiameter than a diameter of the post, the button end defining anaperture centered about the longitudinal axis; and a female componentconfigured to be attached to a portable item, the female componenthaving a receptacle for slidably receiving the male component in whichthe terminal end of the receptacle is disposed proximate to an upper endof the female component, the female component having a detent extendingfrom an interior wall proximate to the upper end to engage the apertureof the male component; wherein the male component and the femalecomponent are coupled together by sliding the female component on to themale component generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the malecomponent until the detent is received in the aperture of the malecomponent.
 2. A fastening mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein themale component includes a backing coupled to a second end of the post.3. A fastening mechanism as defined in claim 2, wherein the malecomponent further includes an annular flange coupled to the post anddisposed proximate to an outer surface of the container.
 4. A fasteningmechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein the female component includes arelease button configured to retract the detent to release the malecomponent.
 5. A fastening mechanism as defined in claim 4, wherein therelease button has a deflectable arm attached to the detent, wherein thearm is biased such that the detent extends through the detent opening.6. A fastening mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein the femalecomponent is attached to the outer surface of a sleeve configured tohouse the personal item, and the personal item is selected from a groupconsisting of a mobile phone, personal digital assistant, and a globalpositioning system receiver.
 7. A fastening mechanism as defined inclaim 1, wherein the male component is attached to a container selectedfrom a group consisting of a golf bag, a gym bag, a suitcase, abackpack, a briefcase, and a suitcase.
 8. In a fastening mechanismhaving a male component and a female component, the male componenthaving a post defining a longitudinal axis, a button end attached to thepost and defining an aperture on a terminal end aligned with thelongitudinal axis of the post, the female component comprising: an upperend; a lower end; a base wall configured to be coupled to a portableitem; an intermediate wall in spaced relationship with the base walldefining a cavity between the base wall and the intermediate wall, thecavity having an opening at the upper end of the body, the intermediatewall defining a detent opening proximate to the upper end of body; aperipheral side wall extending outwardly from the intermediate wall; aflange projecting inwardly from the side wall and positioned over theintermediate wall, the flange defining a receptacle having a width lessthan the diameter of the button end of the male component, the flangeconfigured such that a terminal end of the receptacle is proximate tothe upper end of the body and an open end of the receptacle is proximateto the lower end of the body; and a detent extending through the detentopening of the intermediate wall to engage the aperture of the malecomponent.
 9. A fastening mechanism as defined in claim 8, wherein thefemale component is attached to the outer surface of a sleeve configuredto house the personal item, and the personal item is selected from agroup consisting of a mobile phone, personal digital assistant, and aglobal positioning system receiver.
 10. A fastening mechanism as definedin claim 8, further comprising a release button extending through theupper opening into the cavity, the button operatively coupled to thedetent extending through the detent opening of the intermediate wall toengage the aperture of the male component, wherein depressing the buttoncauses the detent to disengage from the male component.
 11. A fasteningmechanism as defined in claim 10, wherein the release button has adeflectable arm attached to the detent, wherein the arm is biased suchthat the detent extends through the detent opening.
 12. A fasteningmechanism as defined in claim 11, wherein the release button furtherincludes two outer arms disposed on opposing sides of the deflectablearm, the outer arms having each having a flanged end that cooperateswith a corresponding catch defined by the base wall.
 13. A fasteningmechanism, comprising: a male component having a post defining alongitudinal axis and a button end, the button end having a greaterdiameter than a diameter of the post, the button end defining anaperture centered about the longitudinal axis; and the female componenthaving a body having an upper end and a lower end, the body having abase wall, an intermediate wall in spaced relationship with the basewall defining a cavity between the base wall and the intermediate wall,the cavity having an opening at the upper end of the body, theintermediate wall defining a detent opening proximate to the upper endof body, a peripheral side wall extending outwardly from theintermediate wall, and a flange projecting inwardly from the side walland positioned over the intermediate wall, the flange defining areceptacle having a width less than the diameter of the button end ofthe male component, the flange configured such that a terminal end ofthe receptacle is proximate to the upper end of the body and an open endof the receptacle is proximate to the lower end of the body; a detentextending through the detent opening of the intermediate wall to engagethe aperture of the male component; and a release button extendingthrough the upper opening into the cavity of the body, the buttonoperatively coupled to a detent extending through the detent opening ofthe intermediate wall to engage the aperture of the male component,wherein depressing the button causes the detent to disengage from themale component.
 14. A fastening mechanism as defined in claim 13,wherein the release button has a deflectable arm attached to the detent,wherein the arm is biased such that the detent extends through thedetent opening.
 15. A fastening mechanism as defined in claim 14,wherein the release button further includes two outer arms disposed onopposing sides of the deflectable arm, the outer arms having each havinga flanged end that cooperates with a corresponding catch defined by thebase wall.
 16. A fastening mechanism as defined in claim 13, wherein thefemale component is attached to the outer surface of a sleeve configuredto house a personal item.
 17. A fastening mechanism as defined in claim16, wherein the personal item is selected from a group consisting of amobile phone, personal digital assistant, and a global positioningsystem receiver.
 18. A fastening mechanism as defined in claim 13,wherein the male component includes an annular flange coupled to thepost and disposed proximate to an outer surface of the container.
 19. Afastening mechanism as defined in claim 18, wherein the male componentincludes prongs extending from the annular flange to couple to abacking.
 20. A fastening mechanism as defined in claim 19, wherein thebacking defines an aperture to receive the prongs therethrough.